Folk Wandering

See it if you love brave, devised, innovative story-telling with fantastic music that digs into themes of Americana and shared memories.

Don't see it if you want a cautious revival or a traditional plot structure. Pipeline makes wonderful magical shows by taking risks: that's good theater!

See it if You enjoy historical stories of strong women with fantastic music and enchanting staging.

Don't see it if You find non-linear storylines hard to follow, or can’t deal with the harsh realities of American history.

See it if You want to see a cute show

Don't see it if You dont want to see a show revolving around a lot of people

See it if Like musicals or stories cleverly intertwined by a multitalented young.cast.

Don't see it if You only like staid old pieces with little invention, and people breaking into song to tell a tale perfectly.

See it if You enjoy folk/indie music. Enjoy innovative shows that aren't afraid to break rules. Enjoy musicals that look at American history.

Don't see it if You enjoy only more traditional book musicals that don't break the fourth wall. Don't enjoy folk/indie music. You want something "light."

Also Folk Wandering is a really wonderful show with a lot of material that will stick with you long after you leave the theatre. You might even hang on to a certain something long after you leave the theater. I know I've still got mine.

The music is wonderful. It's musically eclectic without feeling scattered. When I first heard some of the music I thought, "wait this isn't folk." Folk Wandering is a bit of a misnomer, in a good way. It runs a really wide and interesting gamut of sounds.

All three leads are wonderful but it's Kim Blanck who manages to steal the show with her ethereal voice. Her vocal performance, to use an overused word that I choose now with no hesitation, was ethereal.

The whole cast is uniformly talented both as actors and musicians.

The show contains three stories and they fit together perfectly as is, but a rather vague frame narrative hampers what would stand just fine on its own.

I can not wait to see what is next for this project.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see an amazingly well done Off-Off Broadway production, you love new, non-traditional musical theater, you're into history.

Don't see it if You like traditional musical theater, you don't particularly like country music, you want a really structured plot that is easy to follow.

Also I really loved this show. It was just so well done for an Off-Off Broadway show - and super ambitious. The acting was great and the singing was (mostly) inspiring. Cleverly staged, with a large cast playing many characters. The music is phenomenal. I hope they can find some money to record a cast album - I would love to hear it again. Yes, there are definitely flaws - they missed the opportunity for a beautiful ending, it could use an intermission, it could cut some things, rearrange some scenes, and could be a bit more subtle in its message about less-than-wonderful things that happened in American history.
All in all, it's a great opportunity to experience something new and exciting in musical theater, and see talented actors that are going to have a bright future in the theater, hear some wonderful, powerful music, AND see what potential Off-Off-Broadway has - magical.

Also, Kim Blanck was phenomenal.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy new musicals. You enjoy stories that span space and time.

Don't see it if You want something familiar. You want a clear thesis.

See it if You like new works by upcoming artists done by a wonderful newer non profit theater group

Don't see it if You are looking for fully developed commercial type of musicals.

Also Pipeline is that little company that could. They have continually brought great theater to the NYC landscape. These shows I’m sure r done on a small tight budget but they manage to bring a fresh new voice to theater in NYC. This is a good show that has some weaknesses but overall is worth the night out. 3 stories about women in different times. One of them is strongly developed, one is almost there and the last one set in the 50’s needs a direction. The actors are doing great work and there is so much to experience throughout. Support this company so we can see what they bring us next!... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see talented energetic cast in a multigenerationsl musical.

Don't see it if You expect perfection. Lyrics sometime are lost.

See it if like musicals. really pretty current sounding music. lovely voices and acting. unusual story line and very worthwhile

Don't see it if Need a show to start strong and quickly

See it if You like stories with easy transactions between each other. Great set design, highly entertaining folk music. Totally worthy seeing it.

Don't see it if You are expecting high tech staging or don’t like folk music.

See it if You like shows that sort of sneak up on you. Quirky in its plot presentation I wasn’t sure I even liked it then found myself completely in.

Don't see it if You want a lot of straight forward action. This takes time to take shape. For a while you may not know where you’re going but it’s worth it.

See it if You like musicals with a folk twist, strong exuberant voices, a storyline that is a testament to human spirit, in an intimate theatre space.

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals, thinly interwoven storylines spanning several decades.

See it if You are a fan of folk music and the folks storytelling.

Don't see it if You don’t like folk music or a non-linear storyline.

See it if you like vignettes of Americana set to good music.

Don't see it if the vignettes are not quite long enough to go deep with any one of them, thus making the characters feel a tad stock.

See it if you like good singing and a talented ensemble. Some very good singer-songwriter type songs. Production accomplishes a lot on small budget.

Don't see it if you're looking for more established stories. Characters felt more archetypal than fully fleshed out. Still a show worth seeing for talent.

See it if you want a cheerful, lively show with great singing & live music. You like (simple & simplified) tales of independent women from years past.

Don't see it if you want surprises, nuanced characters, or historical learnings. This is a predictable, feel-good song-&-music show with a good cast.

Also All of the songs & singing are good, but none of them are catchy enough that you'll leave humming/singing them. Still, they're entertaining & well performed, so I've rated this higher than I normally would for something this predictable.

FYI: Seating sections are identified by the face (1 of 3 lead actors) on the programs on the seats -- ingenious! Good way to create an initial connection to the characters & to make you think abt the differences between them.

**SPOILERS**
1. The premise of one character being mistaken for James Dean was really cute!
2. The most moving part of the show was near the end: A somber scene from the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, most likely (though it wasn't named) & it's quiet, snowy immediate aftermath.
3. The show resolves to hopefulness. This line from one of the last songs sums it up: "All I need for my wandering soul are the things I've already found."... Read more Read less

See it if You want to melt into a heart-breaker of a show beautifully performed by a tight, energetic ensemble.

Don't see it if You can’t get past a lack of polished plot. This show lovingly meanders, a shame because it’s at its best when the plot clears up.

See it if You know someone in the play or you don't mind great musicians with disjointed, confusing plotline. Actors really enjoyed themselves.

Don't see it if You need a plot that makes sense and not just random stories with random people that aren't framed well.

Also I would have enjoyed this a lot more if I'd had any idea who these actors were portraying at the start of the play. It felt so random and disjointed that it made following the subsequent storylines exhausting.

However if you're just looking for some really top notch musicians, this is a great show.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in a multi-generational exploration of history.

Don't see it if you want a simple time line, or you want classic and familiar songs

See it if you like musicals with fun songs a committed cast or you are interested in how artifacts and objects emotionally resonate through time.

Don't see it if You are looking for a deep theatre experience that asks important questions or explores the complicated aspects of the human experience.

See it if you want to see an earnest & arty new folk musical showcasing a jaunty & sometimes poignant score by emerging singer-songwriters.

Don't see it if you expect cohesive directing or a cogent storyline (or 3) to support the jumbled musical styles (by 10 composers) & awkward framing device.

See it if Beautiful little show

Don't see it if If you don’t like musicals

See it if You love folky musicals with non-linear plot lines.

Don't see it if You prefer classic musicals with linear plots

See it if You love shows with folk scores, and seeing how everything ties together in the end

Don't see it if You only want to follow a linear storyline